Testimony: Fox Sports involved in soccer bribes

"Any suggestion that Fox Sports knew of or approved of any bribes is emphatically false", the statement said. Fox Sports denied the allegations.

Burzaco testified that one top official for the broadcaster signed a phony contract designed only to cover up payment of $3.7 million in bribes. Burzaco, who pleaded guilty and is now cooperating with the USA government, is the former CEO the Argentinian sports marketing firm Torneos y Competencias.

The testimony in the criminal case comes as Fox Sports is being sued, separately, for alleged bribery in Miami federal court. With AP Photos.A former marketing executive has testified that Fox Sports partnered with his firm to pay bribes to soccer officials to secure broadcasting rights to major soccer tournaments.

Fox Sports did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday's testimony.

That fake contract allowed Fox Sports to extend its media rights for Copa America and other events from 2015 to 2018 and to launch Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 3 in multiple countries, Burzaco said.

NEW YORK (AP) - Fox Sports partnered with a South American marketing firm to make millions of dollars in bribes to high-ranking soccer officials in exchange for lucrative broadcasting rights to major tournaments, the marketing company's former CEO testified Tuesday at a US corruption trial. Prosecutors displayed a copy of the contract, clearly bearing Ganley's signature, to the jury. "Fox Sports had no operational control of the entity with Burzaco ran". In court on Tuesday, he said the head of sports at O Globo, the largest media company in Brazil, was present at a dinner where $600,000 annual bribes for two Brazilian soccer officials were negotiated.

Full Play (Argentina) and Traffic Group (Brazil) were also involved in bribery for media rights, according to Alejandro Burzaco, former CEO of sports marketing company Torneos y Competencias and a convicted government witness, Bloomberg News reported .

Recently, evidence arose that Televisa may have been involved in paying bribes to secure broadcast rights for Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay for four consecutive World Cups.

Burzaco's testimony is part of a trial of several ex-soccer executives, who were charged as part of an worldwide investigation into corruption in global soccer. They are accused of taking part in a scheme spanning 24 years and involving at least $150 million in bribes.